\u201cAlex! You\u2019re really strong. Like, too strong.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\ud83d\ude03 Why, thank you Sensei!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\ud83d\ude21 Idiot. I meant that\u2019s why your kendo sucks!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\ud83e\udee0\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This was the feedback at Kishimoto-sensei\u2019s private dojo in Amino this weekend. There was an important lesson that followed. It was about the concept of \u201ckyo-jitsu<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The principle of kyo-jitsu<\/em> (\u865a\u5b9f)\u2014sounds simple enough. We\u2019re dealing here with the balance between kyo<\/em>, emptiness or vulnerability (what I call the \u2018hole\u2019), and jitsu<\/em>, fullness or strength, the gap and the fortress (\u2018whole\u2019). Legend has it that Sun Tzu himself coined this idea, and it is still very much alive and well in dojos today. Just not in my kendo, apparently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Have you ever been standing in the ‘perfect’ kamae<\/em>, screaming lots of kiai<\/em>, really looking the part, and then your opponent just swoops in and hits you before you can do anything? This is because you looked like you were in a state of jitsu<\/em>, and you probably thought you were, but you were actually in a state of kyo<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The essence of kyo-jitsu<\/em> is that while kyo<\/em> and jitsu<\/em> exist simultaneously, identifying which is which is both an art and a science. To see your opponent in a state of jitsu<\/em>\u2014completely grounded and unwavering\u2014should be cause not for attack, but for a quiet pause. A direct assault on jitsu<\/em> is nothing more than headlong folly. But when you sense their kyo<\/em>\u2014the momentary lapse, the fractional opening even, if their kamae<\/em> (stance) is still steadfast\u2014you\u2019ve found your opportunity. “Strike at the false front, bypass the substance\u2014that\u2019s the true road to victory!” <\/p>\n\n\n\n But the beauty of kyo-jitsu<\/em> isn\u2019t just about spotting openings; it\u2019s about creating them. In this, iro<\/em> (\u8272), or the art of the feint, plays a critical role. A budoka trained in iro<\/em> learns to show an opponent precisely what they want them to see. Imagine signalling an overhead strike, aiming for the men<\/em> (head), daring the opponent to raise their guard just a little. As their hand lifts, the real target\u2014their exposed kote<\/em> (wrist)\u2014becomes fair game. In this controlled deception, the kendoka\u2019s feigned attack draws the opponent into a reaction, allowing exploitation of the resuting opening. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Kyo-jitsu<\/em>, of course, transcends mere physicality. It\u2019s also very much a mental game. Kyo<\/em> can be an emotional lapse, a flicker of doubt, a stray thought. Jitsu<\/em>, by contrast, is the unyielding state of mind that doesn\u2019t entertain distraction. The practitioner versed in the intricacies of kyo-jitsu<\/em> can read both the body and the mind of their opponent, catching subtleties that reveal the opportune moment to act, or not to act as the case may be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then there’s the opposite side of the coin, and this<\/em> is what I was being reprimanded over. In other words, being \u201ctoo strong\u201d means that my opponent has nothing to attack, no opening to take advantage of. An important skill in budo is to be able to take advantage of someone taking advantage of you. Why are they taking advantage of you? Because you are [very subtly]<\/span> offering them something to take advantage of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWill you walk into my parlour?\u201d said the Spider to the Fly, So, when they think in that nano-second, \u201cAh, there, an opening; now\u2019s my chance to strike men<\/em>!\u201d and then follow through with an attack, they\u2019re doing it precisely because you wanted them to<\/strong><\/span>. You have drawn them into your web. This is what it means to \u201ccontrol your opponent\u201d. Any \u014dji-waza<\/em> (counter) technique against that men<\/em> strike, is not a \u201creaction\u201d but a \u201ccreation\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As I write this blog post, I just got a phone call from Kishimoto-sensei. He felt the need to drive the point home a bit further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAlex, what you\u2019re doing now works fine in competition\u2014as long as you get the point, you win. And overpowering your opponent with a show of strength isn\u2019t a bad thing at all. But as you prepare for your 8th Dan examination, you need to show more than just ‘staunchness’. You have to demonstrate a much higher understanding of the budo mind than just landing successful strikes. It’s not a one-way thing. Like a master puppeteer, you have to guide your opponent, subtly pulling the strings and letting them dance to your<\/em> story. To do this, you need to get into their head and screw with their mind, without them knowing it. That\u2019s the essence of ai-ki<\/em>\u2014feeling your opponent and guiding them along\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n And, how do you do this? You have to show weakness. But here\u2019s the rub: to truly control, you have to dare to appear vulnerable. Courage, in this case, is found in the willingness to risk being struck, inviting that opening. Right now, you\u2019re all jitsu<\/em> and no kyo<\/em>\u2014it\u2019s like fishing with a massive hook and no bait. Show a hint of honey, and the flies will come buzzing, but I alas you\u2019re a bit short on sweetness…\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n As I listened in the dojo, and just now on the phone, I was reminded that mastering the principle of kyo-jitsu<\/em> is less about defeating opponents and more about seeing oneself with clarity. To understand kyo<\/em> and jitsu<\/em> in others, one must learn to cultivate both in oneself, moving fluidly between states of vulnerability and strength, opening and defending as needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s a form of self-knowledge, a way of recognizing that, while strength may dominate for a time, it\u2019s the moments of vulnerability\u2014the kyo<\/em>\u2014that hold profound potential for growth. Budo then becomes an interplay of timing, insight, and precision rather than just forcing the point home down a one-way street. The difference lies in perception\u2014learning to read beyond the obvious, to know the precise moment to act and when to wait. In that space between kyo<\/em> and jitsu<\/em>, the budoka finds a path not just to victory but to mastery of self. On that note, I guess it\u2019s time to sprinkle a little sweetness out there and see who bites!<\/p>\n\n\n
\u2019Tis the prettiest little parlour that ever you did spy~<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The “Budo Beat\u201d Blog features a collection of short reflections, musings, and anecdotes on a wide range of budo topics by Professor Alex Bennett, a seasoned budo scholar and practitioner. Dive into digestible and diverse discussions on all things budo\u2014from the philosophy and history to the practice and culture that shape the martial Way. \u201cAlex! You\u2019re really strong. Like, too strong.\u201d \u201c\ud83d\ude03 Why, thank...","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1441,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[36,42,45],"class_list":["post-1440","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-b-b-blog","tag-budo","tag-kendo","tag-kyo-jitsu"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/budobooks.jp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1440","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/budobooks.jp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/budobooks.jp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/budobooks.jp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/budobooks.jp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1440"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/budobooks.jp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1440\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1549,"href":"https:\/\/budobooks.jp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1440\/revisions\/1549"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/budobooks.jp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1441"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/budobooks.jp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1440"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/budobooks.jp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1440"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/budobooks.jp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1440"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}